Yesterday was Saturday and today is Sunday. Yesterday had to work at Farfetched with Susan, Jessica and Harpy. I didn’t have to, I was asked and committed to it. I’ve been working there for almost ten years mainly during the holiday season. I enjoy it and the store has a great staff. Susan and Lois have been putting a lot into their store for over twenty years and it’s a fun place to shop and it’s also a fun place to work. I’ve been working with Harpy on and off for about twenty years so that’s fun and occasionally competitive.

It was fairly busy and sometime there’s some jostling for airplay on the stereo between Harpy and myself while ringing up customers purchases. I worked from noon until 8:00. I had a break to go out and get some food so I made a little detour to stop by the box office at Irving Plaza and pick up two tickets to see the Brazilian Girls on December 29 with Juan. I’m taking him for Christmas so if he reads this he’d better act surprised and it had better be a good show. I am sure it will be.

Got phone calls towards the end of my shift from both Juan and Julio, both of them asking what I was up to after work. I didn’t have any clear plans and decided it would be cool if I merged both hanging out with Juan and hanging out with Julio and Stine. Surprisingly I was able to bring both groups together all in Julio and Stine’s apartment. I asked Julio if I should bring anything and he suggested red wine. Since I was drinking at Farfetched, Susan, Harpy and I dispatched three bottles of Italian champagne after Jessica had left, I bought a bottle of Korbel and brought it to the apartment.

Juan arrived soon after I got there and we all sat around the table, listening to Brian Wilson’s Smile album and just drinking champagne and talking. Lot’s of talking. We talked about my job status, working at Farfetched, Stine’s job working as an architect for Julio’s cousin. They are flying to Denmark on the 20th for the holidays and they told tales of previous New Years celebrations in Copenhagen. It all sounds so drunken, at least from the way Julio describes it. Both Juan and I were entranced as we moved from the champagne to the merlot.

I even brought my guitar and promptly destroyed a few Beatles songs much to everyone’s annoyment.

Somehow we wound up discussing religion, or god. Mythology I pronounced it, Julio sort of agreed and Stine and Juan holding up the religious end. It didn’t come to fisticuffs though at around 2:00 in the morning I realized that I was way too fucked up to proceed and getting into bed seemed the best route. Juan was to far gone to make it home so he crashed on the couch as I climbed into bed with Bill who is coming down with a nasty cold.

I was supposed to go to church with him but wound up sleeping in after I unsuccessfully tried to convince him to stay home and get better. He had to read the liturgy so there was no stopping him, just a lot of wadded tissues in his wake. Juan slept fitfully on the couch and Julio and Stine nursed their hangovers. I somehow was able to go out and get bagels and Gatorade and the newspapers, making breakfast for Juan and myself, watched a DVD about Man Ray, then sending Juan back home and me off for a two hour nap, waking up feeling almost human.

It’s Friday and I’m happy. I am also a lame duck, sort of like Bush but I’d like to think I am way smarter. Well that’s what Bill just said. Bill was at his folks again last night, Juan was scheduled to come over but was stuck in traffic so I enjoyed a mellow night alone at home. Just watched television mainly. Watched My Name is Earl, Scrubs and 30 Rock, none of The Office as it wasn’t on. I read some of the New Yorker, once again about two or three weeks behind. Very funny article by David Sedaris in the Cartoon Issue.

Woke up this morning and it was dark and way cold. Last week the temperature was pushing 70 degrees, this morning it was pushing 20 degrees. Very cold. Time to dress in layers. Too cold for cereal. Coffee and vitamins will do until I get my bagel in the city. It was freezing out with sharp winds that cut like a clichéd knife. I hustled down to the train and stood with everyone else, gloves on and hanging onto the pole. I’d never make it as a pole dancer, that seems to be for sure. The world’s loss.

I got to the office and it was just as I like it. Empty. Major players were out of town, Boston and London. That meant most of the B-players were running the show and they’re easily avoided and occasionally manipulated. No manipulation needed since Jenn was in again and it freed me up to make myself invisible. Didn’t do much except make coffee today. It was quiet and nothing to do most of the day. Donna, had a few requests for me to do and that required little effort. Just sat at the desk and made some phone calls.

Jenn was great as usual but there was some drama going on with her and her family that ultimately made her have to leave the office after a few minutes into a crying jag in the ladies room. That was fine and actually made me lamer. Another strange thing, a few people in the office have come up to me and asked if Donna was pregnant. I have no idea as I’m not one of her confidants. I did see what is lately called a baby bump though I called it a baby bulge when discussing it with Lizzie Borden.

The day was slow but pleasant. I left the office at 5:30 under the guise of going to see Philip Beansprout. Most of the employees were drinking hot toddies which they made themselves while leaving the kitchen in a mess, microwave door ajar, rum bottles and glasses everywhere. I knew I wasn’t going to clean it up, I was heading out the door, Padron in pocket. It had warmed up somewhat, being around 30 degrees as I walked down Sixth Avenue towards Canal Street.

Once again, as it’s happened the past few nights, always at Canal and Sixth, someone invariably approaches me and asks for directions. I give generally correct directions, merely pointing east or west, uptown or downtown and say, ‘That way.’ The other night though a middle aged Asian woman asked me for directions to a restaurant and I was walking in that direction, but wound up walking past it for a few blocks, finally checked the numbers on a building to see I had taken her off course. I turned her around and sent her back. I guess I have a face that can be trusted, my willingness to help is what others sometimes see. Strangers can see it, though the majority of my soon to be former coworkers couldn’t. Their loss.